morning glory

I am not a morning runner.  In fact, I've really never been a morning person.  
Sure, I wake up on my own around 7 am everyday, but it takes me a good hour with my nose stuck in my computer and a mug of steaming coffee until I am ready to face the world.
Ask my mom.  She had to deal with me.

So tell me to set the alarm a whole hour and a half early to climb out of the cozy warm bed to face the elements outside and perform physical activity?  I think not.

I have tried, believe you me.  I lay the clothes out.  I call the morning running friends to meet me. I make the coffee ahead of time. I even vow to run on the treadmill to avoid the cold.

Yes, I know the benefits of getting up before the flipping sun does (that is just WRONG) and getting a run in.  You get it out of the way.  You feel SO energized. You rev up your metabolism.  Blah blah blah.

Why is it the night before the idea of an early morning run sounds SO wonderful?  I am such the ambitious gal as I lay in bed making my early morning run plans: "I will do a route I've never done!  Maybe I'll do speedwork!  1 mile repeats at 6 AM...that sounds awesome! I'll get in 8 miles!"

Then the alarm sounds. I hit snooze and think, "maybe I'll do 5 miles instead of 8".  
The alarm goes off a 2nd time and I jab the snooze button once more: "a 3 mile tempo run may be all the time I have for"
The next time I wake up I think "oh darn!  it is too late for me to do anything.  gotta get ready for work and school".

And here I am.  Drinking my coffee and plinking away on the computer.  Yes, I was supposed to run this morning.  And, no I didn't.  Maybe I'll try again tomorrow...

i can't quite believe it...

i've got quite the little journey ahead of me.
in 2013 i've got 52.4 miles all wrapped up in the East Coast:
April 15th 26.2 miles in a little town called Hopkinton, MA
November 3rd 26.2 miles in a little bit bigger town called New York (f-ing) City, NY

i am pitting out sweat just thinking about it all.

so that's 2 of the 5 "world marathon majors" in one year.  ok, that sounds pretty flipping dorky.  but there are 5 freaking amazing marathons to run in the world...and i will be running 2 of them within 7 months.

perhaps i should do chicago, berlin and london in 2014, the year i turn 40.
just kidding.  or maybe not.

now i think i just peed myself.

anywho, bodily functions aside, i thought i'd put this blog back into play and get away from the old time sucker that is facebook and waste my time a bit more constructively by chronicling my journey to Boston and NY right here.  while i can't promise everyday posts (like you'd really read those anyway), i hope to write regularly enough so i have something to look back upon the week before each race and chuckle.

this could be my little piece of sanity during this crazy @ss journey.
won't you join me?
feel free to follow me on this blog.  would love to have you along for the ride :)

just get me to beantown

i don't know if any of you have heard of it.  it's this little race in this little city.  no big deal.  the boston marathon. april 15 2013.  just a few runners that have ran a few miles to qualify to be there.
and i could be one of them.
(btw-what's with the horse/unicorn looking thing in this logo???)

the anticipation takes my breath away at times. in fact, i keep logging into the results of the martian marathon to make sure that was really me that ran 26.2 miles back in April.
did i truly run a boston qualifying time of 3 hours, 36 minutes and 31 seconds??

and i keep double checking the standards for the boston marathon to make sure they haven't changed. age 35-39...still 3 hours and 40 minutes. last time i did math 3 hours 36 minutes is less than 3 hours and 40 minutes, right?

so this week all the folks that have qualified 20 minutes, 10 minutes or 5 minutes faster (over achievers!  LOL!) will put their request in.

and then i wait until the following week to apply.

and then i wait until Oct. 1st to know if i am accepted.

did i mention that i am extremely impatient?  and a little neurotic?

i'll be waiting...

If you think you've done something stupid read on

who breaks her toe teaching yoga?
hi, i'm kim, and that would be me.
that's correct.  right in the middle of sun salutation yours truly heard a little snap crackle pop and there snapped the big toe.
seriously?

but there's nothing like a broken big toe, or any other injury, to put it all into perspective.  before the "toe break of 2012" i was on top of my running game.  i just qualified for Boston.  i was supposed to run a 5K that weekend and try to break 21 minutes.  not so much.

the podiatrist had me stay off the sucker for 4 weeks.  seriously, the longest 4 weeks of my life.  talk about mood swings and emotional eating.  and one should not emotionally eat when one is not able to run off said calories. period.

i would teach class and literally itch to run with the group.  i'd stare longingly at the folks running around our town's 4-mile square.  i think i even slowed down once to just watch someone stride along.  yes, super creepy for sure.  and pretty pathetic.

after the 4 week running hiatus i was to "ease" back into running.  "do what is tolerable" said mrs. foot doctor extraordinaire. so that wednesday i did a couple miles with class.  thursday a couple miles with class.  friday a few more miles with Michelle. then Sunday a half marathon.

Yup. 13.1 miles with my running pals and half the city of Chicago.  it wasn't my fastest half marathon (slower by about 40 minutes).  but i took some sweet satisfaction that i could do it. and that made it one of my most accomplished half marathons to date.

although going up and down stairs was a bit of a challenge the next day it was well worth it.  and it wasn't the toe that was sore...maybe a combo of not a whole lot of training and a bit of dancing that night in Chi-Town :)

me, lisa and sara at the BIG bar. cocktail hour commenced at 4pm. 

lisa, me, shannon, sara, peg and staci at the big bar.  happy birthday Staci!

up on stage and Shannanigans.  Second year is a charm!

my journey has just begun

I never thought I would say this in a post on my blog:

I. Qualified. For. The. Boston. Marathon.

Yes, me.  The same girl who 4 years ago only liked to run 3 miles on the treadmill (and quite honestly hated every minute of it)

Who 4 years ago had a 5K personal best of about 28 minutes.

The same girl that didn't think she could and was pushed to run the 4 mile loop (thanks Sara!).

Who took a leap of faith with a group of great running buddies and ran 13.1 miles for the first time.  That was just 3 years ago.  I had to walk part of that race because the distance overwhelmed me.

The same girl that dragged the same running buddies to her college town in Baltimore, MD for her first 26.2 miles.  I completed that race in 4 hours and 27 minutes.  I couldn't have been happier to just finish the b@#tch.  That was October of 2010.

After that marathon, if you would have pulled aside that same girl, with her Under Armor tanktop on with KIM stuck on the front and FULL VIRGIN on the back and said, "Guess what Kim? In just 18 months you will qualify for the Boston Marathon, running a race almost 1 hour faster than you did today", that girl may have thought you were on crack.  And she may have thrown up on your shoes.

I tell this not to brag and not to gloat.  Far from it.  For me, it shows that this is all just the beginning and I can't wait to see where the next 4 years take me.  New York?  Boston?  I'm ready.  

And I'm so glad I got my ass off of that treadmill and got out there.  If I didn't, who knows what I would have been missing out on.

What are you missing out on?

What gets you through?

Anyway you look at it, 26.2 miles is a long flipping way to run.  As I sit here thinking about the last long run before my 4th marathon, I wonder (as I always do), why the heck am I doing this?
I mean really:  why would someone voluntarily get out there and run for 4 or so hours?
This year, the race has a whole new meaning for me.  Instead of trying to just complete it, I am also attempting to do it in a certain time frame to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Which means a pretty lofty time goal.

So, as I sit here dreading the last 15 miler (10 at my marathon pace) I will complete before my race, I wonder, "what is going to get me through 26.2?".  Sure, my playlist will help get me moving (I will post that a little closer to the race).  My sheer determination will play a part in getting me to run those 8:20 mile splits.  But in the end, I think it will be gratitude that will push me through.  Gratitude for all that I have...even the most simple things as having 2 strong legs to get me through.

So as I toe off in 2 short weeks there are some people I will have in my mind that I will run for.
Like my mom's best friend Michelle who passed away too soon from ovarian cancer. Her daughter misses out on a mom to share such accomplishments with.  And for all my friends that have lost a parent too soon.
My friend Sara's friend Curt who suffered from ALS and passed away recently.  He would have given anything just to walk to the mailbox, let alone run a marathon.  I think of him often when I run.
Linda Fitzpatrick, whose husband who passed away WAY too young.  I am lucky I get to cross on the finish line with my husband cheering me on.
For any of you that have been sidelined with injury. I know you'd just love to run ONE mile.  I will run all 26 for you (with minimal complaining).
For people that lack the confidence in themselves to set a goal and work to accomplish it.  I may not run the race as fast as I set out to, but at least I had the courage to try.  And keep going.

That's what will get me through.  Next time you are struggling with a race, long run, or speed workout, think about those people in your life that can't.  I promise you'll move a little quicker.

southwestern quinoa salad

well, i think i ran myself into submission last week.  52 miles.  in one week.
who does that?

i guess i do now.

so my answer to all this running is to stock up on good food.  a 2 hour round trip drive and $270 later, my pantry, fridge and freezer are overflowing with Trader Joe's goodies...two buck chuck baby.  i pinned a couple of yummy recipes i wanted to try but was too lazy to try them separately so i combined them with a few extras.  SO good. not too heavy but filling.

here is what I chowed on tonight...you need to try this one fo' sho.

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa-rinsed
1 3/4 cup water

1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper
2 avocados, diced
big handful of quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 cup of roasted corn (i used trader joe's frozen roasted corn)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tsp cumin

juice from 1 lime fresh squeezed

handful of chopped fresh cilantro

sea salt to taste

feta cheese

1. Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine next set of ingredients in a large bowl. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and roasted corn and toss to warm them through.
4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix.  Sprinkle with feta cheese if desired.  You should desire feta cheese ;)